Lara’s Travels

Survivor Reborn admin Lori and her husband Jay recently spent ten incredible days in Egypt and brought along their Rock Candy Lara Croft figure, who was more than happy to pose for photos in front of some of the country’s key attractions. From the pyramids at Giza to the Graeco-Roman ruins of Alexandria, from the banks of the Nile to the majestic temple ruins of Karnak, from the sun-beaten Valley of the Kings to the treasure-filled halls of the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, Lori and Jay ... [Continue Reading]

The Tomb Raider video game series and films have done a tremendous job of showcasing some of the world’s historical sites and exotic locations, whether they’re well-known attractions such as the pyramids at Giza or Angkor Wat or the less commonly known Trajan’s Market and Jan Mayen island. And as one of the most successful and longest-running film franchises to date, the Star Wars films have often relied on real-world locations to serve as the backdrops of some of their ... [Continue Reading]

Since this site was launched in March 2013, my Lara’s Travels feature has explored some of the cities and ancient sites seen in the Tomb Raider games, such as Prague’s Strahov District (Angel of Darkness), Zapadnaya Litsa in western Russia (Chronicles), and the tomb KV5 in Egypt (Last Revelation). And although the locations featured in the games and films are the ones that often stand out in most people’s memories, it would be remiss of me to say that the comics were ... [Continue Reading]

It’s not every day you get the chance to visit Yamatai or take a leisurely stroll around Himiko’s tomb. But one hot (and thankfully not too humid) day in September, my husband and I got the chance to do just that when we took some time off from our regular sightseeing and boarded a train bound for Nara, a former capital city not far from Osaka that’s renowned for its ancient temples, giant Buddha statue, and free-roaming deer. Once there, we transferred onto a smaller ... [Continue Reading]

One of the things I’ve always enjoyed about the Tomb Raider series is the inclusion of real-life artefacts and locations in the games, even if the level designers and artists employed a heavy dose of artistic license in their efforts. During a family trip to Prague this Easter, I made a point of exploring the city’s Strahov district with my husband in tow; my mum declined the invitation in favour of some retail therapy. We soon discovered that, shock horror, the real Strahov had ... [Continue Reading]

Lara Croft will soon be heading off to Siberia for her next adventure but long-time fans of the Tomb Raider series will know that this will certainly not be her first visit to the Russian Federation. In Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, our heroine travelled to an ancient settlement in Siberia (though actually filmed in Iceland) in search of one half of the mystic Triangle of Light. And fans of the Core Design games may remember that Ms Croft once broke into a high-security naval base at Zapadnaya ... [Continue Reading]

Fans of Tomb Raider 2013 will recall that Lara and the Endurance crew venture into the region known as the Dragon’s Triangle in search of the lost kingdom of Yamatai. Throughout the course of the game, players became well-acquainted with this fictional island, its inhabitants, and the supernatural conditions that prevented people from leaving its shores. But what do we know about the Triangle itself? The Dragon’s Triangle, also referred to as the Devil’s Sea (Ma no Umi, ... [Continue Reading]

Over the years, Lara Croft has visited some of the coldest and most remote places on the planet and the Aleutian Islands, which feature in the mini-adventure The Golden Mask, are no exception. In Golden Mask, Lara travels to Melnikov Island in search of the legendary Golden Mask of Tornarsuk and ends up infiltrating an old Soviet base in the process. While Melnikov Island is completely fictional, the Aleutian Islands themselves are very much real and may have been home to some of the first ... [Continue Reading]

Long-time readers of The Archaeology of Tomb Raider will probably be familiar with my series, Lara’s Travels, which looks at the various real-life locations Ms Croft has visited over the years. Places which include Meteora, the Greek monastic complex that inspired Tomb Raider 1’s St Francis’ Folly, and Jan Mayen, the icy, volcanic island which made an appearance in Tomb Raider: Underworld. Lara’s globetrotting adventures have inspired many to follow in her footsteps and ... [Continue Reading]

Over the years, Lara Croft has visited dozens of archaeologically fascinating places but not all of them have been particularly glamorous. One such place that instantly springs to mind is the Cistern in Tomb Raider 1. When I first started playing Tomb Raider back in 1996, I bought myself a copy of the Prima official strategy guide to help me get through the game (Stella’s Walkthroughs wasn’t around back then) and while flicking through the pages, I noticed that one of the ... [Continue Reading]

Hundreds of museums and art galleries across Europe took part in Twitter’s first “Museum Week” event this week and to celebrate its success, I thought I’d devote an edition of Lara’s Travels to the museums Lara Croft visits (or refers to) in the Tomb Raider series.** 1) Louvre Museum, Paris One of Lara’s most memorable museum visits is her after-hours escapade in the Louvre Museum, Paris, in Angel of Darkness. The Louvre Palace has a long, rich history that ... [Continue Reading]

You’d be forgiven for thinking that the KV5 level of Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation was rather dull and forgettable. There are no real tombs to explore, no noteworthy treasures to find and you spend most of your time driving a jeep through sand dunes, dodging grenades, and avoiding deadly spike pits. Perhaps the level designers just didn’t realise that the real KV5 would turn out to be the largest tomb ever found in the Valley of the Kings. KV5, which stands for ... [Continue Reading]

In the last edition of Lara’s Travels, I wrote about the island of Jan Mayen in the Arctic Ocean, one of the real-life locations featured in Tomb Raider: Underworld. This time, however, we’ll be going back in time to where it all began and look at one of the places Lara visits in the original Tomb Raider (and Anniversary): St. Francis’ Folly. Of course, there is no real-life St. Francis’ Folly (try not to be too disappointed), though this hasn’t deterred fans from ... [Continue Reading]

In the last edition of Lara’s Travels, we looked at the real and in-game Tomb of Semerkhet in Egypt. This time, we will be leaving the scorching deserts of Egypt behind us and will be turning our attention to a remote, volcanic island in the Arctic Ocean: Jan Mayen. Lara travels to Jan Mayen in Tomb Raider: Underworld in search of Valhalla and Thor’s legendary hammer, Mjölnir, in order to put an end to Natla’s plans to bring about the “Seventh Age” (thought to be ... [Continue Reading]

In Tomb Raider 2013, Lara and the rest of the Endurance crew set out to look for the lost kingdom of Yamatai and its mysterious queen, Himiko, but, in reality, Japanese archaeologists have known the possible location of Himiko’s tomb for a few years now. Long-time readers of this blog may recall that a group of researchers were allowed access to the Hashihaka kofun burial mound earlier this year in the hope that they’d be able to confirm whether the tomb in Sakurai, Nara ... [Continue Reading]

In this edition of Lara’s Travels, we’ll be exploring the Tomb of Semerkhet, one of the many Egypt-based levels in Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation. One of the things that long-time fans of the Tomb Raider series may have noticed is the series’ quirky blend of historical fact and archaeological fantasy. The Last Revelation is no exception. Does the Tomb of Semerkhet really exist? The answer is yes….and no. In The Last Revelation, Semerkhet is said to be a High Priest ... [Continue Reading]

18th April is World Heritage Day or, as it’s officially known, the International Day for Monuments and Sites. To celebrate it, I’ve compiled a list of all the UNESCO World Heritage sites that Lara Croft has visited during her travels. I had originally planned to write a paragraph or two about each of these places but, due to time constraints, I’ve inserted links to their official UNESCO pages instead. Here are some of the awe-inspiring World Heritage sites that Lara has ... [Continue Reading]

On 24th July 1911, the Yale archaeologist and intrepid explorer Hiram Bingham III caught his first glimpse of the remote Inca citadel of Machu Picchu during an expedition to find the lost city of Vilcabamba, the last refuge of the beleaguered Inca Empire. Although it’s now thought that the site had been visited (and plundered) by others before him, Bingham is credited with bringing Machu Picchu to the world’s attention. Over the years that followed, however, thousands of artefacts ... [Continue Reading]

Which Tomb Raider location would you visit if you had the money and means to explore any of the places featured in the games, films, or comics? Would you visit the stunning temples of Angkor, explore the frozen expanses of Antarctica, wander through the urban wildernesses of London and Tokyo, or do a spot of mountain climbing in Peru? Feel free to let us know what is on your Tomb Raidertravel wishlist by leaving your comments below! You can learn more about the places Lara Croft has visited ... [Continue Reading]

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Tomb Raider Horizons is a fan-run website devoted to the Tomb Raider franchise. It is not affiliated with Crystal Dynamics, Eidos Montreal, or Square Enix or their official fansite program.

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All original articles on this site were written by Kelly McGuire unless stated otherwise. Please ask for permission before republishing or translating any of the articles found on this site and make sure to link back to the original article.

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